Pyrophoric spark producing mechanism



Sept. 29, 1936. ARQNSON' 2,055,993

PYROPHORIC SPARK PRODUCING MECHANISM Filed May 23, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR- Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics PYROPHORIC SPARK PRODUCING IVIECHANISM 8 Claims.

My invention relates to pyrophoric spark-producing mechanism of the type embodying a torch-forming member which may be moved in a predetermined manner to automatically actuate said mechanism.

My invention has particular reference to a spark-producing mechanism which may be automatically actuated by the act of withdrawing the torch-forming member from the casing for said mechanism.

Various other advantages, characteristics and features of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

My invention resides in the spark-producing mechanism, arrangements and features of the character hereinafter described and claimed.

For an understanding of my invention and for an illustration of one of the many forms thereof, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a pyrophoric lighting mechanism as constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with the casing cover removed;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, transverse, vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1-4.- inclusive;

Fig. 6 is a transverse, vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the mechanism shown in Figs. 1- inclusive;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, showing parts of the sparkproducing mechanism; I

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of the novel mechanism of my invention; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective View of a part of the actuating mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the mechanism of my invention, in general, is shown as comprising a fuel casing F and a main casing C. A torch-forming member T is adapted to be moved in one direction so as to enter the fuel casing F and, when removed therefrom, is adapted to actuate the spark-producing mechanism for the purpose of igniting a charge of fuel carried by said member T. v p

The fuel casing F may be of any suitable character and, as herein shown, it may be of generally circular configuration such, for example, as comprises a top wall I connected to a bottom wall 2 by a generally circular side wall structure 3, the latter comprising a depending wall surface 311 adapted to rest upon any suitable support. As shown, a vertical passage may extend through the fuel casing F, this passage being defined by a cylindrical member 4 suitably connected at its upper end to the top casing wall I and at its lower end to the bottom casing wall 2. The provision of this member 4 is optional although the presence thereof is desirable. When provided, it serves in the manner hereinafter described as a passage for the reception of a .part of the spark-producing mechanism.

To the end that fuel of suitable character may be introduced into the fuel casing F, there may be provided a plug 5 which is threaded, in readily detachable manner, into the bottom wall 2 of said casing F. The latter, preferably, contains a mass of suitable material 6, such as cotton, whereby the fuel introduced into said casing F is readily absorbed.

The top wall I of the fuel casing F, at one side of the aforesaid cylindrical member 4, is provided with an opening which receives a cap I shaped to form a central, vertically disposed sleeve section la adapted to be introduced interiorly of the upper end of a vertical passage defined by a structure 8 formed from a strip of suitably laminated material, such as felt, which is spirally wound as more particularly described in my pending application Serial No. 719,640, filed April 9, 1934 and retained in such configuration by adhesive secured to the adjacent surfaces of the felt strip. Preferably, a member 9 of open mesh material, such as may be fabricated from copper wire, is disposed around the structure 8 to more firmly retain it in the configuration indicated. Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the lower end of the passage defined by said structure 8 may be closed by a wad I 0 of suitable absorbent material.

The side wall of the fuel casing F defines a circular, vertical exterior surface 321 adapted to detachably or otherwise receive the circular wall structure I I of the main casing C. Preferably, the wall structure II is detachably related to the fuel casing F and, if so, there may be utilized a pin I2 adapted to be received in a slot I3 of said wall structure I I whereby the latter may be located in predetermined position on the fuel casing F. I a

In the form of the invention herein shown, the

aforesaid wall structure II is provided at the top thereof with a pair of diametrically alined passages I Ia, Fig. 3, adapted to receive the respective projecting sections |4a of a plate I4 which, in normal position, is disposed interiorly of the wall structure I and forms a support for various parts of the hereinafter described operating mechanism. As shown, the wall structure I I may be provided with a plurality of perforations IIb which afford ready entrance of air above the plate I4 so as to support the flame which is produced by pyrophoric action.

A plurality of spaced standards I5 are soldered or otherwise suitably fixed to the plate I4 and? these standards extend vertically so as to support a cover member I6 for the top of the casing Q. As shown, screws I'| extend through the cover member I5 and are threaded to the respective standards I5 whereby said cover member is detachably retained to the wall structure II in the position shown on the drawings.

A. plurality of standards I8, spaced apart in generally triangular relation as shown in Fig. 3, are soldered or otherwise suitably fixed to the plate I4, these standards I8 extending in generally a vertical direction and being utilizable as hereinafter described. The cover member I6 is formed with an upper opening concentrically arranged with respect to the vertical passage defined by the standards I8, said upper opening of the cover member I6 preferably carrying a. bushing I9 whichis suitably secured to said cover member.

As clearly shown in Fig. 6-, a tubular member 20 depends from the plate I4 and is soldered or otherwise suitably secured thereto. the passage defined by said member 20 being vertically alined with respect to the passage defined by the aforesaid sleeve section Id of the fuel casing. cap I, said passage of the member 20 also being" vertically alined with respect to the vertical passage defined by the standards I8 and the bushing I9. The member 20 is provided with vertically extending slots 20a which are diametrically alined for the reception of bolts 2|,

" respectively, which are threaded into opposite sides of a short tubular member 22 freely slidable interiorly of the tubular member 20.

Fixed to and depending from the aforesaid plate |4- are a pair of spaced bracket members 23 having a bolt 24 or other suitable member horizontally disposed in the lower sections thereof. Freely pivoted on the member 24 isa lever arrangement 25 which comprises a pair of members 26 pivoted to said member 24 and disposed closely adjacent the respective brackets 23. Adjacent ends of these members 26 are connected together by a transverse member 21, and the other adjacent ends of said members 26 are slottedv as indicated at 26a, these slots receiving and being slidably related. with respect to the respective bolts 2|. A spring 28 is coiled around the aforesaid member 24, or a sleeve carried thereby, and one end of said spring is connected to one of the members 26, the other end of said spring 28 being connected to one of the brackets 23. In this manner, the lever arrangement 25 is biased in a counter-clockwise direction, Fig; 2.

The aforesaid member 21 which connects the members 26 together has pivoted thereto an upwardly extending lever 29 which is suitably biased in a clockwise direction, Fig. 2, by a spring 39 which is coiled around the member 21 and has one end thereof secured to the: adjacent member 26 and the other end thereof secured to a section 29a of said lever 29. The lever 29 comprises a latch section 29b and, adjacent its upper end, said lever 29 is provided with a plurality of ratchet teeth 290.

The aforesaid brackets 23 comprise the respective sections 230. which extend above the plate I4 and horizontally support a fixed bolt 3I,. or other similar member. Freely rotatable on the member 3| is a ratchet wheel 32 which comprises a projecting sleeve carrying a serrated wheel 33, the wheels 32 and 33 being secured together for rotatable movement as a unit. Coactable with the serrated wheel 33 is a pyrophoric element 34 which projects from a tube 35 extending downwardly through the aforesaid casing C and the cylindrical member 4. The tube 35 contains the usual coil spring, not shown, the lower end of which seats against a cap 3'6 threaded into the lower end of said tube 35; the upper end. of said coil spring engaging and biasing the pyrophoric element 34 into engagement with the serrated wheel 33. As shown, the lower end of the tube 35 may be threaded for the reception of a nut 31 which is received by the lower end of the cylindrical member 4. Furthermore, the tube 35 may be further anchored in a position by a plate 38 which connects said tube 35 to the aforesaid tubular member 28.

As shown in Fig. '7, the member 3| carries, in free pivoted relation, the spaced arms 39a. of a latching lever' 39 such as shown in Fig. 9, for example. Thelatching lever 39 comprises a transverse section from which projects a lug 3% adapted to be positioned in the space defined by the aforesaid standards I8. At its lower end, the latching lever 39 is provided with a notched section 390 adapted to coact with the aforesaid latch section 291) of the lever 29. As shown in Figs. and '7, a spring 40 is coiled around the member 3|, one end of this spring engaging the aforesaid transverse section of the lever 39 and the other end of said spring resting upon the plate I4. The spring 40 serves to bias the lever 39- in a clockwise direction, Fig. 2.

The torch-forming member T may be and preferably is of the character disclosed in my aforesaid pending application Serial No. 719,640. Thus, as shown in Fig. 6, the member T comprises a tubular member 4| terminating in an upper handle section 42 said handle section having a lower flanged surface 42a. Suitably spaced from the lower end thereof, the member 4| comprises a laterally extending section 4Ia adapted to coact with the aforesaid tubular member 22.

The tubular member 4| further comprises one or more lower apertures 4 I17 which expose sections of a suitable wick 43 disposed within said member 4| and supported by a rod 44 carried by a head 45 frictionally secured to said member 4|.

With the parts of the hereinbefore described mechanism positioned as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 6, it will be observed that the torch-forming member T is disposed within the. vertical passage defined by the member I9, the standards I8, the tubular member 20, the sleeve section Ia of the cap 1 and the passage defined by the structure 8. It results, therefore, that the opening into the fuel casing F is sealed by the lower end of the torchforming member T and, at the same time, fuel is absorbed from said fuel casing by the wick 43, such fuel passing to the wick by way of the apertures 4|b of the tubular member 4|. When the torch-forming member T is positioned as last described, the flanged surface42a rests uponthe standards l8 and the lateral section crests upon the tubular member 22.

With the parts positioned in the manner described above, the lever arrangement 25 is in its most advanced clockwise direction and the spring 28 is wound or energized. The lever 29 is in its upper position and the spring 30' holds the ratchet teeth 290 of said lever 29 in engagement with the ratchet wheel 32. shown, the notched section 390 of'the latching lever 39 is in engagement with the latch. section 2913 of the lever 29 and it is by reason of such engagement that the parts are retained in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

When the lighting mechanism is to be actuated, the handle section 42 of the torch-forming member T is manually grasped and moved upwardly. During such upward movement, the parts remain positioned as shown in Figs. 2 and 6 until the lateral section 41a of the member 40 engages the lug section 39?) of the lever 39. Thereupon, during slight continued upward movement of the torchforming member T, the lever 39 is rocked in a counter-clockwise direction, Figs. .2 and 6, to thereby disengage the notched section 390 thereof from the latch section 291) of the lever 29. When disengagement is thus effected, the spring 28 becomes effective to swing the lever arrangement 25 in a counter-clockwise direction, Figs. 2 and 6, with a snapping action, the lever 29 moving downwardly under the control of the lever arrangement 25 and the ratchet teeth 290 of said lever 29 clutching the teeth of the ratchet wheel 32. As a result, a step of rotative movement is imparted to the wheels 32 and 33, the latter coacting with the pyrophoric element 34 to produce a shower of sparks which pass along a path extending toward and into the space defined by the standards [8. The timing is such that the sparks pass along the path last noted just as the exposed wick sections at the apertures Mb pass therethrough and, as a result, the charge of fuel at the lower end of the torch-forming member T is ignited to produce a flame which may be utilized for any desired purpose, as for the ignition of cigars, cigarettes, candles, pipes or the like and, in so doing, the torch-forming member may be passed from hand to hand as desired.

When the torch-forming member T has served its intended purpose, the flame at the lower end thereof may be extinguished, if desired, whereupon said torch-forming member-T may be returned to the position shown in Figs..2 and 6. In so doing, the lateral section 4 la of the member 4| engages the tubular member 22 which at this time is in its uppermost position as indicated in Fig. 8. After engagement has thus been effected, continued downward movement of the torchforming member T causes the lever arrangement 25 to be swung in a clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 8 to that shown in Figs. 2 and 6. As a result of such movement, the lever 29 is returned to its upper position, the ratchet teeth 29c thereof idling with respect to the stationary ratchet wheel 32 and, under the influence of the springs 30 and 40, the levers 29 and 39 are disengageably connected at their respective sections 2% and 390. This operation returns the various parts to their normal position and the mechanism as a whole is in condition for subsequent operation.

Although the spring 60 biases the lever 39 in a clockwise direction from its position shown in Fig. 8, the extent of such movement is slight due Further as stop surface. Accordingly, the lug 39b-of lever 39 is permitted to move only to a slight extent into the vertical space defined by the standards" l8, the intrusion thereof into'said space being in-- sufficient to permit ready downward movement of the section Ma of the torch-forming member;

time being effective to actuate said lug on its up-" ward stroke.

Mechanism of the character herein described is reliable and efficient in operation. The simple act of inserting the torch-forming member in the casing stores energy in the spring from which the power is to'be obtained for the subsequentautomatic operation. Withdrawal of the torch-forming member from its normal position trips the automatic mechanism and causes the production of sparks which ignite the charge of fuel carried by said member. The various parts are of simple character and they coact with each other in an efficient manner for the purpose intended.

While the invention has been described with respect to a certain particular preferred example which gives satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

to the fact that the lever' section 291) serves'asa What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a casing, a cover member therefor, a supporting member disposed in said casing below said cover member, said casing being provided with a plurality of perforations permitting the free passage of air above said supporting member, spark-producing mechanism in said casing above said supporting member, a torch-forming member carrying a charge of 1101, means for operating said spark-producing mechanism in response to movement of said torchforming member as it is withdrawn from said casing, and means whereby said spark-producing mechanism and said operating means are secured to said supporting member.

2. In combination, a casing, a cover member therefor, a supporting member disposed in said casing below said cover member, said casing being provided with a plurality of perforations permitting the free passage of air above said sup.- porting member, spark-producing mechanism in said casing above said supporting member, spring means for operating said spark-producing mechanism, a torch-forming member adapted to be passed into said casing to wind said spring means, latching means comprising a part extending above said supporting member for restraining operation of said spring means, movement of said torchforming member as it is withdrawn from said casing actuating said latching means, and means whereby said spark-producing mechanism and the operating means therefor are secured to said supporting member.

3. In combination, a casing, a cover member therefor, a supporting member disposed in said casing below said cover member, spark-producing mechanism in said casing above said supporting member, a torch-forming member carrying a charge of fuel, means for operating said sparkproducing mechanism in response to movement of said torch-forming member as it is withdrawn from said casing, and means disposed both above and below said supporting member for guiding said torch-forming member during withdrawal thereof from said casing, and means whereby said spark-producing mechanism and said operating means are secured to said supporting member.-

4. In combination, a casing, pyrophoric sparkproducing mechanism, a supporting member, a fixed tubular member depending vertically from said supporting member, a reciprocatory member associated with said tubular member, a bracket depending from said supporting member, a lever pivoted to said bracket and connected to said reciprocatory member, a spring operated by said lever and adapted to have energy stored therein in response to downward movement of said reciprocatory member, and means whereby the energy stored in said spring operates said sparkproducing mechanism.

5. In combination, a casing, pyrophoric sparkproducing mechanism, a supporting member, a fixed tubular member depending vertically from said supporting member, a reciprocatory member associated with said tubular member, a bracket depending from said supporting member, a lever pivoted to said bracket and connected to said reciprocatory member, a spring operated by said lever and adapted to have energy stored therein in response to downward movement of said reciprocatorylmember, and means whereby the energy stored in said spring operates said spark-producing mechanism, said last named means comprising a, latching member for restraining operation of said spark-producing mechanism, said latching member being operable in response to movement of a torch-forming member as it is with-- drawn from said casing.

6. In combination, a casing, a cover member therefor, a supporting member disposed in said casing below said cover member, said casing being provided with a plurality of perforations permitting the free passage of air above said supporting member, pyrophoric spark-producing mechanism comprising a ratchet wheel disposed above said supporting member, a plurality of vertical standards disposed above said supporting mem ber and arranged to define a vertical passage, a fixed tubular member depending vertically from said supporting member and having the passage therethrough alined with said vertical passage, a reciprocatory member disposed in said tubular member, a bracket depending from saidsupporting member, a lever pivoted to said bracket and connected to said reciprocatory member, a spring operated by said lever and adapted to have energy stored therein in response to downward movement of said reciprocatory member, a lever pivoted to said first named lever and having a series of ratchet teeth adapted to mesh with said ratchet wheel, a spring for biasing said second named lever toward said ratchet wheel, a latching lever disengageably connected to said second named lever, the upper end of said latching lever being adapted to extend into said vertical passage, and a torch-forming member adapted to be passed downwardly through said vertical passage and tubular member to thereby depress said reciprocatory member, depression of said reciprocatory member rocking said first named lever, storing energy in said first named spring, moving said second named lever into operative relation with said ratchet wheel and connecting the same to said latching lever, removal of said torch-forming member from said tubular member and vertical passage eifecting movement of said latching lever to disengage the same from said second named lever whereby said first named spring becomes effective to operate said spark-producing mechanism and produce a shower of sparks which ignite a charge of fuel carried by the lower end of said torch-forming member.

7. In combination, a casing, a cover member therefor, a supporting member disposed in said casing below said cover member, spark-producing mechanism in the chamber defined by said cover member and said supporting member, a torch-forming member carrying a charge of fuel, means for operating said spark-producing mechanism in response to movement of said torchforming member as it is withdrawn from said casing and while the part thereof carrying said charge of fuel is passing through said chamber, and means whereby said spark-producing mechanism and said operating means are secured to said supporting member.

8. In combination, a casing, a cover member therefor, a supporting member disposed in said casing below said cover member, spark-producing mechanism in the chamber defined by said cover member and said supporting member, a torch-forming member carrying a charge of fuel, means for operating said spark-producing mechanism in response to movement of said torchforming member as it is withdrawn from said casing and while the part thereof carrying said charge of fuel is passing through said chamber, means forming a path for guiding said torchforming member through said chamber, and

means whereby said spark-producing mechanism,

said operating means and said guiding means are secured to said supporting member.

LOUIS V. ARONSON. 

